PV Cells: The Key to Clean, Renewable Energy
“PV cells” is a term that most folks don’t often associate with the concept of solar power. Better known as a solar cell, this indispensable component forms the heart of any solar-powered system.
The initials “PV” actually stand for photovoltaic, which comes from the word “photo” (light) and “volt” (the unit of electricity). In short, PV cells are able to generate power by converting sunlight into useable electricity.
PV cells have been around for more than a century now, and the original design has been greatly improved over the decades. French Physicist Alexandre-Edmond Becquerel was the one who first observed that energy could be derived from the sun’s rays.
He stated that he increased a wet battery’s voltage by exposing its silver plates to direct sunlight.
Initially, the power output of these old-school PV cells was hardly useful (barely 1% efficiency), but Becquerel’s discovery paved the way for modern solar power.
Since then, other pioneers have made vast improvements with the technology of PV cells. One such milestone was the use of solar cells to power the satellite Vanguard 1 which was launched in 1958.
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A lot of the PV cells we use today are made from silicon which starts off as sand. After undergoing an elaborate series of processes, solar cells usually come in three varieties.
These forms of silicon are: single-crystalline, polycrystalline and amorphous silicon (also called thin film, which contains no crystalline).
But how do modern PV cells actually work? First off, silicon (as mentioned earlier) is the chief substance which makes it all possible. As an element, its natural properties make it ideal for generating power. What happens here is that a silicon wafer is doped with impurities (such as boron and phosphorous) on both sides to make it sensitive to light.
That way, one side is positively charged (p-type silicon) while the other is negatively charged (n-type silicon). When put together, this causes electrons from the p-type side to rush over to the n-type side.
Now you have a gathering of electrons in this setup which creates a great potential of energy just waiting to be tapped. These electrons settle on what is known as the p-n junction, which is essentially the region where the p-type and n-type silicon meet.
To complete this pretty picture, photons found in sunlight (the unit of electromagnetic radiation) do their part by energizing the gathered electrons into action.
These excited electrons travel on a one-way path towards the n-side which has a conductor to direct the traffic to an electrical circuit. Now you have a nice flow of direct current (DC) electricity to power your home.
Once the electrons have reached their destination (your appliances), they’ll travel back to the p-side of the panel so sunlight will re-energize them into action once again.
Now that you’ve familiarized yourself with what PV cells are and how they work, we hope you’ll do further research into setting up a solar power system in your home.